On January 20, 2001, the United States Senate confirmed Rod Paige as the United States Secretary of Education, the first African-American to hold that position in the president's cabinet.The first African-American secretary of education is from Monticello, Mississippi, and is the son of public school educators. He served for a decade as dean of the College of Education at Texas Southern University.
He also established the university's Center for Excellence in Urban Education, a research facility that concentrates on issues related to instruction and management in urban school systems.
Reference:
The Associated Press